the measure is in reactions. chocolate and arsenic. the simple poisons that give us life.

the result occurs in hows. cinnamon and resentment. the urgent icing on so many stale cakes. the shallow moat which surrounds oceans of shame.

plum puppets dancing on a strawberry stage. all limbs coldly tethered to strings made of honey. wooden limbs drowning in the darkness. carved faces starved for change. she names the mountain. each one. soft matchstick. gone dark. yet still warm with the expired flame. she picks up the stitches time has dropped. thin needles coax the thread. deep holes finger the bottom. the surface grins. the calm repetition of weakness. broken leashes.

the animal. the dust. the thin curtain between them. the alarm in her skin. the apocalypse in her skeleton. the universe collapses every night. she just doesn't always care.

Mechanical feet chase the stairs. Strays. Alone in the corners. With familiar monsters and strange gods.